Injustice: Gods Among Us Review – Aquaman’s Back, Bitches

Injustice: Gods Among Us Review – Aquaman’s Back, Bitches

Ever since the Mortal Kombat reboot came out back in 2011, fans of the popular fighting franchise eagerly anticipated a sequel to the immensely successful blockbuster hit. So when NetherRealm Studios announced their new fighting game wasn’t a continuation to the MK title at all, but a game based soley on the DC comic universe instead, there was a slight hesitation on my part personally. How do you make a fighting game where Superman goes mano-a-mano with Harley Quinn and manage to keep it entertaining and not at all one-sided? Is this going to turn out like Mortal Kombat Vs. DC; the developer’s first foray into the legendary superhero world? I am here to tell you right now that there is nothing to worry about.

The hardest part was to not compare this game to Mortal Kombat —and other than the fact that they were both made by the same team– that remained relatively easy seeing as how this game feels very little like its predecessor. They both have that certain flair that I felt when digging my hands into the ultra-violent fighter, but I believe that has more to do with the creators rather than the product itself. Injustice looks and plays like a game all on its own. The aesthetic that the game provides is a potluck of different shades of wonderful. From the gritty, murky alleys of Gotham City to the absolutely gorgeous skies and architecture holding Themyscira together, the world is taken directly from the lore of the DC stories and given a new level of attention and interactivity. The same can thankfully be said for the characters. Each one of the 24 heroes and villains has been given a new coat of paint to set them apart from other iterations in the comics, and with the additional costumes that can be unlocked throughout the game’s modes, every playable fighter continually looks as awesome as they fight.

When I first started playing Injustice, the first thing I noticed right away was how muchI sucked at it. I spent my whole life playing fighting games, and all of a sudden I was terrible at them. I soon realized after getting my ass handed to me a few times that was because every fighting game I had played up until now was just like the others. Injustice takes the good parts of past fighting games but leaves mastering combos up to the player. Combat is just as swift, jaw-dropping, and brutal as MK, but unlike Mortal Kombat, I couldn’t just press random buttons and watch my character do awesome things. I had to learn how to pull off all the fancy moves myself. New inclusions to Injustice include multi-tiered interactive environments (think Dead or Alive) and the wager system: a cinematic stand-off where you bet various amounts of your super meter on how your character fairs. This results in gameplay that won’t stale quickly and is as satisfying as it is fun. One of the real treats in the combat are the super moves. While similar to fatalities, these do not put your opponent down for good, but are always fun to watch. And although they are extremely powerful, some of the more spectacular ones like Superman’s feel a bit under-powered . This might be fixed with an inevitable patch, though.

One aspect of this title that’s taken a noticeable turn for the better since MK is the sound. Dialogue is very well-performed and certain effects like lasers and explosions sound as they should. There was one instance where a sound was incorrectly placed, but it made me laugh instead of pulling me out of the game. While it does take a little getting used to hearing big name characters not being portrayed by their A-list counterparts, the voice actors on deck do an outstanding job filling their shoes and I left the story mode content with what I had just experienced.

NetherRealm studios has yet to skimp on quality in order to bring a game to store shelves quicker, and Injustice is no exception. The wait for this game was overshadowed by the amount of content packed on the disc. From multiple different modes such as your classic arcade ladder, the challenge tower-esque S.T.A.R. Labs, story mode, a fully flushed out online component that can only get better with time, and a leveling up system that rewards you with unlockables such as costumes, online card displays and even new battle modes, this is a game that will keep you busy for quite a while. With downloadable content having already been announced, Gods Among Us is a great example of a game that doesn’t skimp on quantity or quality.

If you have played other fighters online,then Injustice‘s mode is about what you would expect, but with a significant upgrade. All the modes are back to give every person using Batman as their main character a stage to display their abilities. There is not much of a lag as with MK, but that isn’t to say it is perfect. These are just small issues that can easily be fixed, and probably will be, given time. King of the Hill mode is probably my favorite addition to online play in recent memory simply because it brings back a sense of hanging out at the arcade and watching the overly-confident kid with the backwards hat and cargo shorts beat other challengers less experienced than him while all the other onlookers snicker behind his back. It’s fun, competitive, and beating another person with Aquaman has never been so gratifying.

So is this a Mortal Kombat clone? Not at all. What it is, is a new addition to the fighting genre with something fresh to offer. With a new combo system, an engaging story leaving with the promise of more to come, and some of the most fun online I am sure to have this year, it is hard to find fault in a game like this. Every single aspect has been polished to near perfection: Fights are beautiful and picturesque, the main menu looks like the title screen of a movie, and this is one of the few game’s credits I have watched all the way through. Becausefighting games aren’t as big of a deal as they used to be with arcades slowly dying around the country, they have quietly taken the back seat on home consoles, but Injustice is a game that proves it doesn’t need location to prosper.

It delivers on high-quality action and enough content to keep its audience coming back for more. NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Games have another huge hit on their hands with Gods Among Us. Itis a game that set its foot firmly in the ground right from the start and refuses to move, except for the next title in the franchise and I can’t wait to see what new content it has to offer in the coming year. When it comes to fighting games, or if you just happen to like superheroes, you will be very hard pressed to find another title as enjoyable and entertaining as Injustice.

[Final Breakdown]

[+ Combat is unique and rewarding][+ Story mode is blockbuster movie quality][+Gameplay is greatly cinematic][+ Online is extremely fun][+ Tons of unlockables][+ iOS game interactivity][+ Made Aquaman cool][-Story mode is a little short][-Some unevenly matched characters and moves]